History Film / Acrimony

* RealityEnsues: When Melinda rams her Jeep into the trailer where Robert is with Diana and knocks it over, she is in such a rage that she doesn't realize that she had been seriously injured and eventually passes out. Not only was her being the most physically injured of the three plausible (since a trailer has more protection than a Jeep), but the adrenaline of a high-pressure situation will keep a person going for a time even if they have fatal injuries.

* AmbiguousSituation: Melinda's retelling of the entire backstory. It is implied that she is leaving out a lot in her story such as how one family argument led to her and Robert sleeping in different rooms and showing no affection towards each other for weeks. The greatest hint towards this is when [[spoiler: she tells Robert she wants a divorce. When he tries to argue against it, she threatens him with "you know I can be the motherfucking devil" and he quietly and immediately leaves after despite the fact that she does not talk about any incidents since the time she caught him cheating.]] While the film does not give the audience much reason to believe she's lying about any of the events and things said, it's very clear that she doesn't see anything she's done that may have contributed to [[spoiler: the divorce and Robert moving on with Diana]].

* TheDeterminator: Robert refuses to give up on his battery invention and tries for nearly two decades to get it noticed. [[spoiler: He finally succeeds, but at the cost of his marriage and dealing with an unhinged ex-wife.]]

* AmbiguousSituation: Melinda's retelling of the entire backstory. It is implied that she is leaving out a lot in her story such as how one family argument led to her and Robert sleeping in different rooms and showing no affection towards each other for weeks. The greatest hint towards this is when [[spoiler: she tells Robert she wants a divorce. When he tries to argue against it, she threatens him with "you know I can be the motherfucking devil" and he quietly and immediately leaves after despite the fact that she does not talk about any incidents since the time she caught him cheating.]]. While the film does not give the audience much reason to believe she's lying about any of the events and things said, it's very clear that she doesn't see anything she's done that may have contributed to [[spoiler: the divorce and Robert moving on with Diana]].

It concerns a woman named Melinda Gayle (Creator/TarajiPHenson) who learns that not only has her husband Robert ([[Film/SawIV Lyriq Bent]]) been cheating on her, but he has been leading a double life seeing another woman on the side -- and has no further interest in continuing his relationship with Melinda.

* ContrivedCoincidence: [[spoiler: The woman Robert cheated with just so happened to inherit a position to give Robert an in to a company he can sell his battery design. When he had a coffee meeting with her, she accidentally left her wallet behind, which looks suspicious to Melinda and her family, especially after he ruined their delivery to an important client.]]

* GainingTheWillToKill: [[spoiler: elinda decides to crash her car into Robert's trailer when she discovers him cheating on with Diana. In the film's climax, she makes her second attempt on both of their lives during their honeymoon.]]

As you might have surmised from the poster, she doesn't take it well.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Robert is hated by 90% of the cast, and it's justified much of the time.

* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: Melinda is shown as a regular young college student before meeting Robert, [[spoiler: but over the course of 18 years, she eventually grows into a resentful and murderous woman.]]

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Melinda gives one to her sisters [[spoiler: for putting doubt in her mind about Robert after his invention was accepted and he became a multimillionaire, and breaks up with her boyfriend and insults his manhood, making it clear he will never be [[BiggerIsBetterInBed as ''good'' as Robert]]]].

It concerns a woman named Melinda (Creator/TarajiPHenson) who learns that not only has her husband Robert ([[Film/SawIV Lyriq Bent]]) been cheating on her, but he has been leading a double life seeing another woman on the side -- and has no further interest in continuing his relationship with Melinda.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Robert is hated by 90% of the cast, most times justifiably so.

* TheDeterminator: Robert refuses to give up on his battery invention and tries for nearly two decades to get it noticed. [[spoiler: He finally succeeds, but at the cost of his marriage and dealing with an unhinged ex wife.]]

* GainingTheWillToKill: [[spoiler: Melinda decides to crash her car into Robert's trailer when she discovers him cheating on with Diana. In the film's climax, she makes her second attempt on both of their lives during their honeymoon.]]

* ICanChangeMyBeloved: [[spoiler: Melinda spends 18 years married to Robert, believing eventually he would finally start providing for her knowing he is extremely reluctant to get a job and would rather work on his battery. Deconstructed in that she grows to resent him, which sows further seeds of discontent that ruin their marriage.]]
* NeverMyFault: Melinda apparently doesn't even know the ''meaning'' of the word "accountability". Even from the beginning of her relationship with Robert, she irrationally blames him for dropping some notes she had for a college class by walking too closely to him and then runs off to let him clean up the mess.
* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailers make it seem like Melinda is wronged and pushed into retaliation. [[spoiler: Admittedly, she ''is'' wronged at least once and Robert isn't as responsible a husband as he should be, putting money into developing his battery rather than more stable income, but it becomes clear over the course of the film that Melinda has an undiagnosed mental disorder and [[SanitySlippage slowly slips into irrationality]] from the stress of keeping that relationship long past it becoming untenable.]]
* OffscreenTeleportation: [[spoiler: At the end of the film, Melinda manages to get onboard Robert's yacht without any explanation. Becomes even more ridiculous and contrived when she is knocked overboard, yet moments later, Melinda's back on the yacht without wet clothes or explanation how she climbed onto a moving ship.]]

* UnreliableNarrator: According to Melinda, [[spoiler: Robert is a con man who was playing her from the start that wore her down over 18 years of shrewd manipulation. However, it's clear from her first meeting with him that although he is flawed, he is still well-intentioned and that ''she'' will be the main source of tension in their relationship, mostly from keeping it beyond all common sense.]]

''Acrimony'' is a 2018 film from Creator/TylerPerry, and ''quite'' a departure from [[Film/DiaryOfAMadBlackWoman his]] [[Film/MadeasFamilyReunion usual]] [[Film/MadeaGoesToJail output]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Melinda admits early during her narration that there is another side to her, a side filled with uncontrollable rage that is the opposite to her usually cheerful self. [[spoiler: After listening to Melinda's side of the story, the psychiatrist suggest that she could be suffering from a mental disorder, and that Robert is not the monster she makes him out to be. She gets upset and leaves the section. Then she plots to kill Robert and his new wife afterwards]]
* GainingTheWillToKill: [[spoiler: Melinda decides to crash her car into Robert's trailer when she discovers him cheating, and later decides to kill Robert's new fiancee, then eventually Robert himself.]]

* OffscreenTeleportation: [[spoiler: At the end of the film, Melinda manages to get onboard Robert's yacht without any explanation. Becomes even more ridiclous and contrived when she is knocked overboard yet moments later is back on the yacht without wet clothes or explanation how she climbed onto a moving ship.]]

* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: Melinda is shown as a regular young college student before meeting Robert, [[spoiler: but grows into a resentful and eventually murderous woman after marrying/divorcing him.]]
* RealityEnsues: When Melinda rams her Jeep into the trailer where Robert is with his mistress and knocks it over, she is in such a rage that she doesn't realize that she had been seriously injured and eventually passes out. Not only was her being the most physically injured of the three plausible (since a trailer has more protection than a Jeep), but the adrenaline of a high-pressure situation will keep one going for a time, even if a person has fatal injuries.
* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Melinda gives one to her sisters [[spoiler: for putting doubt in her mind about Robert after his invention was accepted and he became a multimillionaire, and breaks up with her boyfriend and insults his manhood, making it clear he will never be [[BiggerIsBetterInBed as ''good'' as Robert]]]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge / WomanScorned: The film basically builds up to this for Henson's character.
* SanitySlippage: At the near end of the movie, Melinda has clearly lost her marlbles.

* UnreliableNarrator: According to Melinda, [[spoiler: Robert is a con man who was playing her from the start that wore her down over years of shrewd manipulation, but it's clear from her first meeting with him that, though he is flawed, he is still well intentioned and ''she'' will be the main source of tension in their relationship, mostly from keeping it beyond all common sense.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Melinda's sisters who kept telling her that Robert is worthless and using her when he was determined to get his invention noticed and wouldn't give up.

* YourCheatingHeart: Robert cheats on Melinda with another woman, which sets the plot into motion.

* AmbiguousSituation: Melinda's retelling of the entire backstory. It is implied that she is leaving out a lot in her story such as how one family argument led to her and Robert sleeping in different rooms and showing no affection towards each other for weeks. The greatest hint towards this is when [[spoiler: she tells Robert she wants a divorce. When he tries to argue against it, she threatens him with "you know I can be the motherfucking devil" and he quietly and immediately leaves after despite the fact that she does not talk about any incidents since the time she caught him cheating.]]. While the film does not give the audience much reason to believe she's an UnreliableNarrator, it's very clear that she doesn't see anything she's done that may have contributed to [[spoiler: the divorce and Robert moving on with Diana]].

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously

(TookTheBadFilmSeriously

* WomanScorned: As referenced by the tagline.

* WomanScorned: Just look at the tagline.

* {{Yandere}}: Melinda eventually becomes this to Robert.
* YourCheatingHeart: Robert cheats on Melinda with another woman, which sets the plot into motion.